Coming of Age
by The Origin Of Sound
Summary: When a 35-year old Noctis looks into the mirror for his morning shave, he sees more than just his foamed-white reflection. A slice-of-life fic with coming of age in the most unexpected ways. Lots of lighthearted humor, no heavy drama-lama. Rated T for romantic adult situations.


Wow, it's been seven years since I've published a fanfic on this site. Normally, when I write a fic, it stays inside my computer for centuries.

Well, NOT TONIGHT, BABY! :D

**Please Note: **This is a 'slice of life' fanfiction. What does that mean? It means that this story focuses on a small, mundane aspect of life, _but,_ has the opportunity to reveal something even greater...mwhahaha. Or life observed and examined, if that sounds better.

In other words, don't take anything too seriously and enjoy. If you get confused, that is quite alright- I am **intentionally** confusing you. For research purposes. (Actually, I do not want to reveal too much about other characters/ side stories in the hopes of creating additional chapters which will answer many of the things I leave hanging in this story.) I've never written slice of life before, so I think of this as an experiment.

Nevertheless, please leave a review. I'd greatly appreciate it. :-)

* * *

Friday morning.

_It's going to be a big day_, his conscious predicted as his hands thickly spread shaving cream on the sides of his once youthful face.

Once youthful when he was merely 22, battling the heretics aiming to conquer the crystal, destroying political powers, saving the world, falling in love.

At these thoughts, he shook his head. He felt foolish for compiling his last 13 years into four statements. It wasn't a simple ordeal to get to where he was today. Those 13 years were memorable and the events that conspired them shaped him into an adult.

He shot a glance at his reflection: two deep cobalt eyes, the nose he inherited from his father, followed by an unsmiling mouth, his wild hair slowly losing its pigment, and his aging cheeks- concealed by a foamy white mask.

Despite some changes, this was the face he had for 35 years.

He took a deep breath.

_You've really grown, Noctis, _his father's voice mockingly echoed somewhere in his mind, causing him to frown. Where and when did he hear that comment? Probably last month, when the King came to see the family. What a terrible idea that was.

_Yeah_, he mentally scoffed back, _thanks for reminding me, old man._

He quickly placed the razor onto his skin, and the process of removing facial hair began. The first time he started shaving was at the age of 24 while dating Stella. On their dates, she tried hard not to burst out in a fit of giggles at the sight of his new moustache, much to his embarrassment. However, their kisses were longer because the Tenebrae princess said she liked the feel of it on her skin. At one point, she even remarked, it gave her nostalgic memories of her father kissing her cheek when she was a little girl. After hearing that detail, he grew into the habit of shaving regularly. When he hit 30, the beard came and the country was soon comparing his newly founded hair with that of his kingly ancestors.

Silly things such as being amused by facial hair were a thing in the past. Now, it was a symbol of growth; gene inheritance. And today, he was shaving that inheritance off for his son's sixth birthday. Going to such lengths were necessary since his in-laws were coming over, and his mother-in-law particularly, believed that men should stay clean-shaven until they turned 40. Somehow, her now ex-husband, Nox Fleuret, was an exception during their marriage.

Speaking of the Fleurets, there was one Fleuret whom he heard opening the dresser, pulling out clothes, stowing them back in, pausing, grabbing.

From the mirror in their bathroom, he caught a glimpse of her staring into a long-view mirror and holding an outfit she selected: a flowy dark green dress.

But it was not the dress that he stared at- it was the sensual curves underneath her shape wear, the soft skin he had touched countless times, and the beautiful blonde hair which spilled behind her back.

She was gorgeous.

And many had found it hard to believe that she was a mother.

_7 Years Ago_

"Tis a crime," his father joked over the phone, while waiting outside the hospital room with his long time rival, Nox Fleuret.

"What's a crime?!" Noctis practically yelled into the receiver as he was racing to his car.

The prince was running late that day. He was in the middle of a foreign affairs conference, and by a stroke of luck, he forgot to turn off his cell phone. The phone rang as he was giving a speech; an embarrassing moment for him since the conference was being broadcasted live to an audience of about two million people. A publicist picked it out from his coat pocket and answered the call, and if one were to watch the taping of the event online, the torn expression on the publicist's face drew the attention of the crowd. What was the call about?

The publicist looked from the phone, to the prince, and finally, tapped him on the shoulder.

"It's Stella. Um, she's at the hospital right now and…it's time."

Before the prince could provide a reaction, the crowd was cheering and clapping. Apparently, the microphone faintly picked up the statement and the message was understood. If anything, the entire city knew that Princess Stella of Tenebrae, newly wedded wife of the Caelum heir, was expecting a baby. The story of this unexpected call hit every media publication.

Noctis abandoned the conference altogether, with murmurs of congratulations flying left and right. When he grabbed his cell phone, the person on the other end was his father, who at first repeated what he had said, and then initiated a conversation that was out of topic.

"She looks old enough to be my grand-daughter. Neighboring territories might think she's actually a teenager, and that I forced you to marry her. " Lucis laughed, unaware that this meaningless chat was irritating the soon-to-be father.

"If this is your idea of 'calming me down' it's not working, old man." Noctis accused, tapping his index finger on to the car's windowsill to keep himself from panicking.

Noctis' chauffeur dodged cars, switched lanes, and sped through the streets of Nifilheim.

"Can you tell me what's happening now?" the Prince asked in anticipation.

There was a long pause, and then faint screaming on the other end.

"If you don't get here in twenty minutes, you'll live to regret it," was the last thing Lucis said before hanging up.

The traffic was horrible that day.

He did in fact regret missing the chance to bear witness to the arrival of his new born son.

Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus were there already, giving him shocked looks as he came charging into the waiting area.

"Where the hell have you been? Your kid popped out forty minutes ago!" Prompto exclaimed. Ignis and Gladiolus sent the blonde glares after the insensitive comment, but the prince was too preoccupied on catching his breath to care.

"Traff-traffic. Why- didn't- you go in?" Noctis panted.

"We wanted to feel surprised like you will, once you walk into the room." Ignis replied, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "That is, if you decide to any time soon."

"I've been patient _enough_ already Noct, so get up and let's see this baby." Gladiolus blurted with obvious impatience, helping the prince to his feet.

Together, the four men walked through the medical doors to see the infant.

And then this happened:

"You're not giving him our surname?" Lucis inquired.

"Forget _that_- are you telling me you're not naming him as a Fleuret?" Nox asked in disbelief.

If Stella's mother had not stepped in and told them to shut-up because they were disturbing the new mother and child, this conversation would have escalated to a war of old kings slapping their family lineages at each other.

Well, the above actually didn't happen until a couple of minutes after the prince and his companions walked in.

When Noctis and party came into the room, Mrs. Fleuret (Stella's mother) was wiping sweat from her daughter's brow. There was a smile on her face that could easily be read as, 'I'm so proud of you'. Stella held a serene expression, which brightened when she spotted her husband, who quickly came to her side and softly kissed her temple.

"Sorry I came late. Nifilhiem isn't the best place to travel through."

His wife laughed. "Apology accepted. But I won't truly forgive you until you see him." She nodded to the crowd forming a yard away.

Nox and Lucis had their backs bent to stare into a cradle next to the hospital bed as Prompto, Gladiolus and Ignis stood with them.

"He's beautiful, Noct." Ignis said as he reached down to touch the child's tiny hand.

"Are you kidding? He's perfection itself." Gladiolus remarked, gazing upon the thick lashes of the infant's closed eyelids.

"Tis true- he inherited the Fleuret's trademark blonde hair. Nothing can get more perfect than that." Nox chimed in, with the look of a proud grandfather beaming on his visage.

There was a light laugh from Lucis' direction at this comment. "I hope he hasn't inherited your narcissistic nature. "

Watching his friends and the grandfathers awestruck at the life that had just been born, the prince felt a sense of warmth in his usually cool heart. It made him remove himself from his wife, and take long strides to the joyous cradle. He could hear his young one stirring inside; his son had been awakened by the five men, now six, who were surrounding him. Noctis' heart was racing once he reached the edge of the cradle. Cerulean orbs slowly greeted him. No, those were _his_ orbs, and the skin, and that nose, passed down from the Caelum family (who kept portraits of their heirs as infants), and those small lips, shaped so lovely. Noctis could feel the corners of his lips lift upwards. This beautiful baby was the offspring of his and Stella's love. The apex of their family pyramid.

The infant stared back at the six men huddling around his crib, his cerulean eyes trying to make sense of who they were and where he was.

Then, his eyes met cobalt.

The man of dark spiky hair stood out from the rest because there was something in his eyes that caught the baby's attention. Something he may have seen in the eyes of the blonde haired woman who held him when he was pulled out of his cocoon: a feeling that both father, and son, could not put into words at that moment.

"Noctis, are you going to stare at the baby all day, or hold him for once?" Stella's mother asked from the other side of the room. "Sounds like he's awake too."

Without hearing his mother-in-law, his arms were already outstretched as he gently pulled the child from his slumbering abode, one hand on the back of the head, the other on the body, and placed him along the nook of his arm and forearm. He was thankful that the new-born parenting sessions taught him this much. His son looked pretty comfortable in this position and had eyes only for his father. It was a matter of seconds when Noctis and everyone else joined Stella with the gurgling infant.

"Seven pounds and six ounces. He's extremely healthy." Stella announced, caressing her son's cheek once Noctis sat beside her. Anyone could tell from her face that her son was now going to be the center of her world. From the day the princess found out she was expecting, she studied how to nurse infants, as well as child care, and visited expecting mothers in the outskirts of Nifilheim and Tenebrae. It was her "duty as both head of state to Tenebrae and mother of a potential heir for two countries, to properly prepare herself for the journey to come" an opinion columnist reported. But Stella's goal was to be a loving mother, just as her mother was.

As mother and father stared at their newborn, an unusually quiet blonde-haired fellow stood near the edge of the bed, scratching his head in thought.

"So…what's his name?" Prompto asked, unsure whether the child's name was previously revealed at a time when he wasn't listening.

The prince and princess shot their eyes at their friend who had spoken for the first time since entering the room, as if he uttered a terrible curse. Then they looked at each other.

"Well, we decided to name him...uh…" Noctis started to say, not without nervously glancing at his father's face.

It took the bravest Fleuret in the room to utter the name.

"Lucian Noctis Decum," Stella replied with a smile to the blonde's direction.

The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop and a baby shifting about.

Then the madness began.

"What is the meaning of _this_?!" a hotheaded Nox Fleuret cried, pointing to Lucis Caelum.

"I would like to know as much as you do." The King of Nifilheim stated, giving his son a piercing look.

"Hey, isn't that partly Latin for-" Prompto began before Ignis finished his sentence.

"Night Beauty. Lucian is French for 'light'. Altogether our little prince's name is 'Night Light Beauty'"

"He's a beauty, that's for sure." Gladiolus pleasantly remarked before pointing at the two kings bickering about their grandson's last name. "What's their problem?"

The conversation was getting heated by the moment.

"Caelum, you've already sworn to be the _last_ king. Stick with your word!"

"That does not mean my name ends, Fleuret!"

"Enough of you imbeciles!" Stella's mother harshly whispered; the whimpering baby was on the verge of tears.

The old kings stopped to look at Ms. Fleuret's angered expression, mirroring her daughter's.

"This is a hospital, not a court room. And our grandson does not need to cry over this ludicrous noise you two are making!" She flared at the now guilty faces of the kings. But they couldn't help but wonder:

"You're not giving him our surname?" Lucis inquired of the couple sitting together on the bed.

"Forget _that_- are you telling me you're not naming him as a Fleuret?" Nox asked them in disbelief.

A stern expression was written on Noctis' face.

"My son will not be heir to a throne, or a puppet for both of your ambitious advances," he stated with utmost distaste for the power-hungry grandfathers. This conversation was completely inappropriate.

Stella proceeded to continue.

"We want Lucian to live a childhood away from the public eye. That is why we chose not to entitle him with either of our surnames. Lucian may pave his own future."

Nox's face cringed, while Lucis looked at Lucian thoughtfully.

"At least Lucian sounds closer to my name, wouldn't you agree?" Lucis slyly smirked.

"It is no matter. At least his middle name means night, just as mine." Nox reluctantly sighed. "Fair enough."

After apologies were given, happiness was restored once more in the room. Well, almost.

Noctis watched as his son was transferred into the arms of Nox, and later Gladiolus, but when Lucian was handed to Lucis, a strange feeling overcame the prince. Perhaps it was the way his father stared into his son's cerulean pools, or the warm smile on the king's usually unsmiling visage. Come to think of it, there was something nostalgic about this scene- something Noctis sensed he experienced in his childhood.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~

He was almost to the last sideburn, when he felt a tuft of messy, dark blonde hair brush against his elbow. Shifting his eyes to the right, he found a six year old boy trying to pull himself up onto the ledge of the bathroom sink, in an attempt to get a closer look at something.

The prince paused to single-handedly pull the boy up until he was seated next to the sink. It was a little hard to resume shaving, because the child was staring at his face intently. An awkward five second pause ended when the child spoke.

"When can I try that, pater?" he asked, pointing to the razor.

The prince quirked his brow at this question and at the slightly annoying Latin his son knew so perfectly. "You're not old enough, Lu. In the meantime, maybe you could try calling me 'daddy' or 'papa' instead of…uh…you know." He replied, catching himself before he attempted to utter a Latin word.

The little boy swung his legs back and forth.

"Avus says those words are too ordinary."

The prince frowned. That old guy was spending too much time with his son, who was now absorbing these silly ideas.

Avus can kiss my ass, was what Noctis would have liked to say, but instead replied, "Well, his words are too… _extra_ordinary."

This time, it was Lucian's turn to quirk his brow; a trait he inherited from his father. He did not quite know what the added prefix meant.

As the little boy tried to decode this new word, Noctis had enough time to finish without those familiar pools of blue staring at him. Then, just as he was stowing the razor away, his gorgeous wife came in wearing a white satin robe which, he always swore, hit all her curves. _Eight years of marriage did not affect her sex appeal_, Noctis mused to himself, before pausing to consider his testosterone driven thoughts. This was very strange. Lately, he was observing her with more than mild desire. Respectfully, no doubt, as it was within his nature to think of such things. Though according to his friends, marital life should have diminished his sex drive. He guessed that wasn't happening today. Thank Etro Lucian was not able to read his mind.

"Lu, I thought I saw you run in here." Stella flashed a wide grin before she came forward and kissed her son on the forehead.

Noctis watched the boy's cheeks turn crimson at the contact. Any kiss from Stella could elicit such a reaction. He knew this too well, of course.

"Good morning, mama." Lucian breathed, while taking in the sight of her luscious golden hair.

Great. Their son was developing an Oedipus complex. And he called her "mama" and not "mater". This was not fair at all. To tip the scale, Noctis leaned over and planted a soft kiss on Stella's neck. He heard her gasp in surprise.

"Good morning, Star." He smirked one of his most devilish smirks he could conjure up. He hadn't been this daring in a long time. Instead of a light blush he hoped would creep upon her cheeks however, she wore a stoic expression, her lips forming a thin line as if to say, _Not in front of our son, you idiot. _In return, he sent her an apologetic gaze.

In the meantime, their son stared at their faces, before he finally blurted out, "Pater is weird."

Stella gave her husband a sidelong glance. "He certainly is."

Lucian: 1

Noctis: 0

Well, it was worth a shot.

"Speaking of weird," Noctis began to say while reaching out to Lucian and lifting him down from the sink's countertop, "Shouldn't you be getting dressed?"

Lucian's feet met the floor and he shook his head.

"Uncle Promp said I could wear my birthday suit."

"Really?" Stella questioningly prompted. She had bought him a red tuxedo suit with matching pants to go with the ensemble; other than that, there weren't other 'birthday suits' she knew of. "So, where is your 'birthday suit'?"

At this, Lucian grinned and gripped the ends of his blue shirt. In one swift movement, he pulled the fabric over his head and gracefully dropped it on the floor; his torso was completely bare. "Here's half of it, mama."

Stella and Noctis stared wide-eyed at him. In Noctis' mind, he pictured himself blowing a punch at Prompto's face when he got the chance to see him. Both his blonde haired friend and annoying father were going to pay dearly for making his innocent son so mischievous.

A silence covered the walls of the bathroom, before Stella, embracing her sense of humor, started laughing. She knelt down and pulled Lucian into a warm hug.

"I think you'll look better in something else, sweetheart." She lightly chuckled while tousling his hair.

Pushing back his hostile thoughts, Noctis picked up Lucian's shirt and flung it on his shoulder. "Alright Lu, time to put on your real suit." Noctis said as he reached towards Lucian, but before he could, the six year old maneuvered out of his mother's embrace and ran out to the bedroom.

"Catch me, papa!"

With that, his son disappeared from the bedroom.

Noctis stood dumbstruck near the bathroom doorway. Had Lucian actually called him 'papa'? Well, the thirty-five year old father did not know how to react, so he simply placed his hands on his hips and sighed. "I have to go chase after him now, don't I?"

Stella, who stood up, leaned on the door frame. "Not right now." She replied with a flirtatious wink.

Oh. She must have noticed him feasting his eyes on her this morning. Noctis felt embarrassed for doing so, but he suspected there was some force tugging him towards ideas of her, their son, his father, etc.

What was it?

He wasn't able to answer this question because his hands suddenly latched onto Stella's waist as if they were electrically shocked into the action. In seconds, she was in his arms with one of her hands rested on his chest and the other stroking his jaw line. He loved it when she did that.

"Why shouldn't I, Mrs. Fleuret?"

She pretended to think.

"I haven't given you a verdict, Mr. Caelum."

Ah, the verdict, Stella's habitual say on how well he had shaved. It also served as an excuse for the two adults to touch each other- not that anyone should know that.

He gave her a sly smirk.

"What's the verdict this time?"

She peered into his eyes and tilted her head.

"Unsatisfactory."

His eyebrows scrunched. That was an unusual response; what she normally would do was kiss him first and then comment.

"For the past 8 years, you've taken five to ten minutes, but today you were in here for twenty," she stated.

His eyes gleamed with interest. "And you've been counting the minutes I've spent?" he asked amusedly.

She smiled one of her knowing smiles.

"Always."

The pulse beneath his chest skipped a beat, not because of the endearing sentiment, but from the realization that he was not the only one thinking about time. It took him longer to get ready that morning because he was not able to truly fathom everything that led him to this moment, in which his son was no longer a seven pound bundle in his arms, his wife retained her youth and he didn't, and his father suddenly became a lingering voice in his mind. Perhaps, for a while now, he was internally reluctant to face the changes in his life, so he hung on to the things that he hoped wouldn't change. Well, there were some changes he'd rather have, like Lucian calling him papa.

He once called Lucis 'papa' too….and admittedly, 'pater'. Those words were once his way of endearing the old man in his younger years. But heck, those were some unpleasant memories he wouldn't look back on; not when he was in front of the one person who would never change, in his eyes at least.

"I'm glad you do." He whispered just before his lips touched hers.


End file.
